The Purpose of Education...

What is the true purpose of education? This remains a perplexing question since there are so many different opinions ever present concerning this question. Jennifer A Vadeboncoeur (1997:15) explains that there are two main theories concerning what the purpose of education is; firstly, “to educate the individual … in a manner which supports the … [individuals] interests and needs”, and secondly, to induce “social transformation and the reconstruction of society aligned with democratic ideals”. Piagetian constructivism is said to be aligned with an emphasis “on education for individual cognitive development” while Vygotskian constructivism is said to be aligned with an emphasis “on education for social transformation” (Vadeboncoeur 1997:15). According to Khalid Baig (2011:[sp]) the purpose of education is to produce qualified citizens and leaders that will be able to function effectively in the society that we are living in. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1947:1) states that the purpose of education “is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically” and carries by saying that “education which stops with efficiency” can prove to be a huge problem. According to Luther King Jr. (1947:1) “the most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals”, which suggests that the purpose of education is not merely to educate within the four walls of a classroom but that the purpose of education is to educate the mind and spirit of any given person intensively for as long as he or she may live. In summary, I believe one could say that the purpose of education is “to bring profoundness to one's expression, broaden one's perspective and build in the individuals, a better approach of looking at life”  (Oak 2012:[sp]).